Korb: Petraeus Cannot Be Trusted To Give Unbiased Assessment On Iraq
Korb: Petraeus Cannot Be Trusted To Give Unbiased Assessment On Iraq
Both Democrats and Republicans have begun rallying around a September deadline to reassess Bush’s Iraq strategy. Whether the September reassessment successfully results in a drawdown currently depends on whether Gen. David Petraeus, the commanding general in Iraq, issues a candid report about the deteriorating conditions resulting from the escalation. Already, Petraeus has said that his report will not say “anything definitive.”
Center for American Progress Senior Fellow and former Reagan Pentagon official Lawrence Korb writes in the Philadelphia Inquirer today that Petraeus cannot be trusted to deliver an unbiased report:
Many lawmakers will formulate their position on the basis of a coming report from Gen. David Petraeus, commander of the multinational force, to the president. Unfortunately, based on behavior in his last command in Iraq and the manner in which he received his current position, Petraeus is not a reliable source for an unbiased assessment.
As evidence, Korb cites the fact that just before the 2004 election, Petraeus wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post proclaiming there was “tangible progress” because Iraqi forces were “stepping forward.” Korb writes, “If Petraeus wrote on his own initiative, he was injecting himself improperly into a political campaign. If he was encouraged or even allowed to do this by his civilian superiors, he was allowing himself to be used for partisan political purposes.”
That wasn’t an isolated incident. Patreaus has allowed himself to be used as a “political prop” to support the White House’s war czar nominee. And, Petraeus has echoed President Bush’s line that al Qaeda, not sectarian civil war, is the greatest threat in Iraq — an assessment that contradicts the intelligence.
In light of the concerns over Patraeus, Korb suggests a worthy solution for Congress to consider:
The answer is to have an independent assessment by an outside group, like the Iraq Study Group, but not including members of that group who might also have an ax to grind. The House and Senate each should appoint one member and the administration another. Only then can we be sure that we will get an unbiased assessment, and that this country will come to grips with the real situation in Iraq.
Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) warned yesterday that Petraeus will come back in September with a desire to prolong the war. To make sure Congress has unbiased information, it should seek independent counsel.
UPDATE: Third Way has also recommended the appointment of “an independent commission to study the success or failure of the surge in September and report back to Congress.”
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70 Responses to “Korb: Petraeus Cannot Be Trusted To Give Unbiased Assessment On Iraq”
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There is simply NO WAY Gen Pat comes back with anything less than “continue the surge, things are getting better, more war, more deaths, Bush is right”. That Congress is waiting for this man to tell them to continue the war in the face of what a majority of Americans want is simply stunning.
May 25th, 2007 at 11:44 amFcuking terrorists.
May 25th, 2007 at 11:46 am“I Don’t Understand These People!”
So You Thought They’d End the War
By DAVID VEST
Welcome to the Show, kid.
The Democrats have “surrendered” on Iraq. Liberals are “shocked.” And all the innocents who didn’t know any better, didn’t see it coming, feel “betrayed.”
Poor Duncan Black, better known as “Atrios,” is nearly at a loss for words: “People hate Bush, hate Republicans, and hate this war,” he protests, and yet the Democrats caved!
“I don’t understand these people,” he wails.
Precisely.
Having used antiwar sentiment, and disgust over Katrina, to regain control of Congress, the Democrats have no intention of relinquishing power. They all “support the troops,” who are being asked to “lay down their lives for America” in far Mesopotamia — but you didn’t expect these people you elected to lay down their political careers for the good of the country … did you?
Of course not. Already Michael Tomasky is praising the Dems for practicing “smart politics,” as though winning the White House in 2008 were far more important than “merely” ending the war in Iraq.
http://www.counterpunch.org/vest05252007.html
May 25th, 2007 at 11:47 amInfo on every gop member of congress
May 25th, 2007 at 11:48 amhttp://www.waynemadsenreport.com/gopscorecard.php
Nothing but a revolution will make a diffrence since yesterday’s vote showed we are living in a dictatorship with the exception of a few in congress…Blessings
May 25th, 2007 at 11:48 amPetraeus has turned into just another political hack like Monica Goodling. Congrats General, hope you enjoy signing the death certificates for Bush.
May your soul be troubled.
-GSD
May 25th, 2007 at 11:53 amof course he can’t be trusted!!! Why does anyone trust the war makers?? Haven’t we learned from history that those who make and profit from war often times want it to go on?
This guy is a politician, like the rest, in my opinion. And, politicians and lying definitely go hand in hand.
Some thoughts:
May 25th, 2007 at 11:53 am“Politicians Lie? Say it Ain’t So!”
http://www.populistamerica.com/ politicians_lie___say_it_ain_t_so
I trust our generals a lot more than the politicos on either side - it’s a shame so many of them have quit. If we had followed their advice to begin with, we would be in a better position now.
May 25th, 2007 at 11:54 amsuccessfully results in a drawdown currently depends on whether Gen. David Petraeus, the commanding general in Iraq, issues a candid report about the deteriorating conditions resulting from the surge.
So if he doesn’t see things the moonbat way he can’t be trusted..laughable moonbats.
May 25th, 2007 at 11:55 ampetraeus was picked PRECISELY because of his willingness to be a toady for bushco… that was obvious from the get-go, and was put up in neon lights after bush fired the previous generals… anybody who couldn’t see that has a serious denial problem…
And, yes, I DO take it personally
May 25th, 2007 at 11:58 amHigh probability 2006 elections were fixed in a way no one ever thought of
OK here is the info on the Blank Check Iraq/Funding of WWIII Vote:
10 freshmen senators
http://www.cagw.org/ site/ News2?page=NewsArticle&id=10334
8 Democrats
1 independent
1 Republican
Independent voted NO
Only one other (Whitehouse) voted NO
The rest voted YES
http://www.senate.gov/ legislative/ LIS/ roll_call_lists/ roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=1&vote=00181
Here is the info:
Brown (D-OH), Yea
Cardin (D-MD), Yea
Casey (D-PA), Yea
Corker (R-TN), Yea
Klobuchar (D-MN), Yea
McCaskill (D-MO), Yea
Sanders (I-VT), Nay
Tester (D-MT), Yea
Webb (D-VA), Yea
____________________
Anyone else checking into this?
May 25th, 2007 at 12:02 pmSo if he already knows what’s going to be in his September report ,(4 months before the report is due) ,why is he wasting our time? Give us the rosy report now and go back to kissing Bush’s ass!
May 25th, 2007 at 12:02 pmOf course we can’t trust Gen. David Petraeus. In fact the few that can be trusted are damn few and far between. We are well and truly screwed. Expect no help from the Democratic Party. After all, someone might talk mean to them and they would all scurry into hiding.
May 25th, 2007 at 12:05 pmEveryone ready for Chertoff’s Final Solution to the issue of Immigration?
May 25th, 2007 at 12:06 pmLearn it now before another fake congressional vote:
http://www.idworldonline.com/ modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=index&catid=&topic=5
but, but, but he’s a general on the ground!
May 25th, 2007 at 12:06 pmAre we sure he doesn’t spell his name “Betraeus”?
May 25th, 2007 at 12:07 pmIf you consult a surgeon, he will provide you with a surgical solution. What do you expect from a military guy? A social and economic solution?
May 25th, 2007 at 12:07 pmThe Democrats need to develop some balls. The problem is that they actually care about the soldiers. They actually want to accomplish something for the nation without leaving bloody corpses on the floor. It is the goodness within liberals that prevent us from standing up and taking the actions necessary.
We have to take control without taking prisoners. No budget should be passed without full capitulation by the president. There needs to be a fully coordinated noise machine. The AG needs to be impeached. Bush and Cheney should be impeached.
May 25th, 2007 at 12:07 pmWant an unbiased assessment on Iraq? Here’s a link to my most trusted source:
http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/today.guest.html
May 25th, 2007 at 12:09 pmNext September will be a hot month for politicians…and for some people holding seats in the Congress, it might be make or break in the next year 2008 elections, depending on how they postion themselves for next year elections in the midst of people’s anger.
Talk and shaking hands by politicians might not help…the next election will be on Congress members voting records with regard to war in Iraq.
People put hours, time and money to get these Congress members and Senators elected last year….it these politicans forget people who helped them fast….then they should not return to Washington…
May 25th, 2007 at 12:13 pmthe whole thing is so non-sensical its pathetic. The benchmark for September is “improvement”, but:
** improvement from what - existing conditions haven’t been established/defined
** criteria of what consitutes improvement hasn’t been established (and won’t be)
** criteria for how much undefined “improvement” is sufficient not to redeploy and stay the course or further escalate hasn’t been established (and won’t be).
So the whole thing is set up as a big emperor thumbs up or down from Petraeus, who as we’ve seen will betrayus in a skinny minute if his masters say so. We democrats would ever allow this situation to be established is astounding…unless of course most democrats don’t really want the war to end.
It is wihtout question that PAtraeus will deliver a ‘magic pony is just around the corner’ assessment in September - he will just need a little more time and a few more troops and the war will be won.
May 25th, 2007 at 12:15 pm.
Want an unbiased assessment on Iraq? Here’s a link to my most trusted source:
Comment by Patrick1
**Can’t stop the uncontrolled laughter.**
May 25th, 2007 at 12:15 pmblah, blah, blah…libtards…blah, blah, blah…surrender…blah, blah, blah…moonbats…blah, blah, blah…islamofacists…blah, blah, blah…
May 25th, 2007 at 12:16 pmPetraeus is a hack who has failed at everything else he has tried in Iraq.
May 25th, 2007 at 12:17 pmIt already has sought independent counsel: the American people spoke quite clearly in 2006. We are finished with Bush, his party, and his war. What exactly is the hang-up on this?
May 25th, 2007 at 12:20 pmWe don’t need a war czar, another Study Group, hearings, or anything else. We want our troops the hell out of the Iraqi Civil War and we want them out now. And any elected or unelected official or media talking head that hems and haws or pretends differently deserves to be tossed out into the streets.
DEMS IN THE HOUSE THAT VOTED YES TO WWIII BILL
May 25th, 2007 at 12:23 pmJason Altmire, Robert Andrews, Joe Baca, Brian Baird, John Barrow, Melissa Bean, Shelley Berkley, Marion Berry, Sanford Bishop, Dan Boren, Leonard Boswell, Rick Boucher, Allen Boyd, Nancy Boyda, G.K. Butterfield, Dennis Cardoza, Christopher Carney, Ben Chandler, James Clyburn, Jim Cooper, Jim Costa, Bud Cramer, Henry Cuellar, Susan Davis, Lincoln Davis, Norman Dicks, John Dingell, Joe Donnelly, Chet Edwards, Brad Ellsworth, Rahm Emanuel, Bob Etheridge, Gabrielle Giffords, Kirsten Gillibrand, Charles Gonzalez, Bart Gordon, Gene Green, Stephanie Herseth, Baron Hill, Rubén Hinojosa, Tim Holden, Steny Hoyer, Steve Kagen, Paul Kanjorski, Dale Kildee, Ron Kind, Nicholas Lampson, Rick Larsen, Sander Levin, Daniel Lipinski, Tim Mahoney, Jim Marshall, Jim Matheson, Mike McIntyre, Kendrick Meek, Charles Melancon, Harry Mitchell, Alan Mollohan, Dennis Moore, John Murtha, Solomon Ortiz, Collin Peterson, Earl Pomeroy, Nick Rahall, Silvestre Reyes, Ciro Rodriguez, Mike Ross, Dutch Ruppersberger, John Salazar, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Allyson Schwartz, David Scott, Joe Sestak, Heath Shuler, Ike Skelton, Vic Snyder, Zachary Space, John Spratt, Bart Stupak, John Tanner, Gene Taylor, Bennie Thompson, Mark Udall, Peter Visclosky, Timothy Walz, Charles Wilson
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/ congress/ 110/ house/ 1/ votes/ 425/
“The House and Senate each should appoint one member and the administration another.”
Now there’s a plan that’s dead on arrival, as it would mean sending two democrats and one republican; not a mixture for political success - unless it entailed Joe Lieberman running outside the Green Zone perimeter without a flack jacket. Most dems would vote for that, I think.
May 25th, 2007 at 12:23 pmGen. David Petraeus will be doing a self-assessment in September. You can be sure that he will not admit to failure of a policy he is wed to. His boss is George W. Bush and we know how it is like oil and water when it comes to Bush and the truth. Petraeus is just another Bush yes man and what he says should be reflected on that fact.
The bottom line is that the American people have no way of knowing how things have gone in Iraq until well after a new administration is in charge. I say well after because most of the data will have been destroyed by the outgoing Bush administration; witness what has happened with e-mail and other documentation surrounding the US Attorney firings. It will take historians decades to reconstruct the record.
May 25th, 2007 at 12:23 pmI was wondering when you guys would start bashing a good man like Petraeus. Perhaps some of you “compassionate” types will wish death upon him before the sun sets? I say that because it’s the kind of hate I see here every day.
May 25th, 2007 at 12:24 pmWAR PROFITEERING at the expense of our great americans in uniforms. kbr, halliburton, pnac, nwo, bildaberg, massauds, zionists, and it goes on and on and on. and folks the demis are not any better with their f. up organizations.
May 25th, 2007 at 12:26 pmComment by Toliver
So why do you return? Are you a masochist?
May 25th, 2007 at 12:33 pmI was wondering when you guys would start bashing a good man like Petraeus. Perhaps some of you “compassionate†types will wish death upon him before the sun sets? I say that because it’s the kind of hate I see here every day.
Comment by Toliver — May 25, 2007 @ 12:24 pm
With all due respect, I would like to think our generals in the field have the courage to challenge a dictatorial president when that president’s policies jeapordize national security.
If this officer lacks this courage (as General Petraeus has proven on many occasions) then he should not only be criticized, but also be court marshalled for treason to the constitution, the republic, and the American people.
I hope everyone knows that this is as basic as the sky is blue, the sea is wet and the sun is hot. The blind loyaly to one member of this republic while denying the freedom of the other 300 million is the most simple definition of treason.
May 25th, 2007 at 12:36 pmWhat the hell difference does it make WHAT report Gen. Betray-US issues in September? The demo-cave controlled Congress will just renew Bushco’s blank check then, too, no matter what this alleged report says.
And as for you, To-licker — we won’t wish death on Betray-US at all; your loveable king george the liar has already done that, along with over 3000 of his fellow US soldiers…
May 25th, 2007 at 12:36 pmGen. Petraeus, or Betrayus as some call him, is just a Bush stooge, so he will never tell the truth about real conditions in Iraq.
May 25th, 2007 at 12:38 pm…and we should trust this senior “fellow” Korb over a decorated and widely respected General who commands forces on the scene? How incredibly naive and convenient!
May 25th, 2007 at 12:46 pmLOL nobody who is widely respected, nor honorable, works for Pres. Bush.
May 25th, 2007 at 12:49 pm#26 ~ I saw that Ron Kind is on the list…. and Herb Kohl voted in favor of the funding in the Senate. What does it mean to me?
The next time they ask for funding - and they will - and I reach for my checkbook - and I have - I will write a check - again. For someone else’s campaign.
Don’t kiss my @$$ later, you already lost my vote today.
May 25th, 2007 at 12:50 pmCONCERNING GENERAL PATRAEUS AND THE SEPTEMBER EVALUATION
Wouldn’t you like to think that our generals in the field have the courage to challenge a dictatorial president when that president’s policies jeapordize national security?
If this officer lacks this courage (as General Petraeus has proven on many occasions) then he should not only be criticized, but also be court marshalled for treason to the constitution, the republic, and the American people.
I hope everyone knows that this is as basic as the sky is blue, the sea is wet and the sun is hot. The blind loyaly for a key military officer to one member of this republic while denying the freedom of the other 300 million is the most simple definition of treason.
May 25th, 2007 at 12:57 pmIf politicians and big corporate executives kids were sent to fight in this war since it started,by now this war would have been a history.
May 25th, 2007 at 12:59 pmafter this last vote, I am even more concerned about the issues regading the continuity of government, for the sake of transparency, I give you this:
AEI/PNAC-Is in charge of all documentation, laws, and procedures regarding the continuity of government.
http://www.continuityofgovernment.org/home.html
The same AEI/PNAC that wrote about the need for a 9/11 attack before 9/11 to justify invading the middle east to control their resources.
Other AEI/PNAC projects:
Patriot Act
Iraq War
Iraq Surge I
Iraq Surge II
Iran War Planning
Military Commissions Act
The Fight Against Rosie and other people who question the 9/11 commission
The immigration law with Chertoff
The Need for a National Drug and Gun Database to protect from another VT massacre
Who is AEI-Dick Cheney’s Wife Controls Everything, supporters are energy and military companies
Who are their presidential candidates?
May 25th, 2007 at 1:01 pmFred THompson
Newt Gingrich
Employee Survey:
Do you like your job?
Are you doing a good job?
What don’t like about your boss?
Please answer honestly and submit with your time card.
May 25th, 2007 at 1:16 pmI have not heard these in over 20 years, they were published 48 years ago:
We will all go together when we go
May 25th, 2007 at 1:28 pmhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fU2mwrxRQyA
Werner Von Braun
http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=MVPjuiABp_E&mode=related&search=
who’s next
http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=t4yaaCFda8o&mode=related&search=
General Petraeus will betray us.
May 25th, 2007 at 1:36 pmGeneral patraeus’ Spetember assessment has already been written.
May 25th, 2007 at 2:08 pm.
#3 Comment by bucketsofblood — May 25, 2007 @ 11:47 am
Sorry, but after reading the Vest “bitter rant” on Counterpunch, all I can say is he is not paying attention to detail and wailing about how bad everything is. His angry and bitter mind is “made up” and don’t confuse him with any other possibility.
I shared his anger before the last election but no longer. Since November BushCo has accomplished nothing! except continuing the occupation. And that only because we do not have the votes.
Don’t generalize and blame “the Democrats!” Put the blame where it belongs! On the DLC ideology and those frightened Democrats that practice it! Read about the DLC on Wikipedia and you will see the problem.
IMO the ‘o8 election is not between Dems and Rethugs. Rather it is an intra party struggle for the ideology that will be the Democratic Party of the future. The Clinton philosophy is in rigor mortis. The ruling DLC ideology that drives things like this latest occupation vote, is what must change. The battle in the upcoming primaries will do that. Appeasers and triangulators (i.e. DLC Democrats) must make way for more powerful progressive voices like Webb and Testor. Take a page from Russ Feingold and look the future in the eyes!
May 25th, 2007 at 2:20 pmFact: NO one can be trusted in this government.
May 25th, 2007 at 2:43 pm#29 Comment by Toliver — May 25, 2007 @ 12:24 pm
I was wondering when you guys would start bashing a good man like Petraeus. Perhaps some of you “compassionate†types will wish death upon him before the sun sets? I say that because it’s the kind of hate I see here every day.
What a mean and bitter person you must be. You are worse than a troll if you believe what you have written here. Trolls, as bad as they are at least have a purpose. You have none! You see only what you want to see and project hate on to others. Stop all your hate projecting on other people and wake up.
May 25th, 2007 at 2:54 pmFrom the article:
The House and Senate each should appoint one member and the administration another. Only then can we be sure that we will get an unbiased assessment, and that this country will come to grips with the real situation in Iraq.
An unbiased assessment????? Give me some of that stuff he is on. Three highly partisan people arguing their opinions is all the unbiased you will get. Sounds like shades of Faux Notnews with its unbiased (”Fair and Balanced”) “reporting.”
May 25th, 2007 at 3:02 pmMonica let the Americans know how jobs are given. Any appointee is going to lie for the Administration. Now once their caught in the lie Bush appoints a new person to keep the lie going. Then Congress and Senate will say let’s give them a chance. But it he same STAY THE COURSE.
May 25th, 2007 at 3:32 pmPetraeus’s entire final paragraph from his offending Sept. 2004 Post op-ed:
“There will be more tough times, frustration and disappointment along the way. It is likely that insurgent attacks will escalate as Iraq’s elections approach. Iraq’s security forces are, however, developing steadily and they are in the fight. Momentum has gathered in recent months. With strong Iraqi leaders out front and with continued coalition — and now NATO — support, this trend will continue. It will not be easy, but few worthwhile things are. “
May 25th, 2007 at 6:00 pmYou’re doing shtick, no?
Since I’ve been dropping by on a regular basis for the last few weeks, people here have wished death upon Tony Snow, Bush and the VP, not to mention d@mning a newborn child. That [sadly] just skims the surface my friend.
The hate here doesn’t go by unnoticed Merlin, and no amount of spinning on your part can change that.
May 25th, 2007 at 7:38 pmOf course progressive Larry Korb does not trust General Patreus - Progs have an ingrained distrust of the military. He would rather have Bernie Sanders (S-VT) or Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) conducting operations…….
May 25th, 2007 at 7:47 pmTolliver - Merlin is a typically progressive elitist. They bash the DLC…. but generally loved Bill Clinton, the poster BOY for the DLC. (The welfare refrom biull couldn’t have happened without the DLC. The multiple personalities each deserve our compassion.
May 25th, 2007 at 7:55 pm#45 - “Appeasers and triangulators (i.e. DLC Democrats) must make way for more powerful progressive voices like Webb and Testor.”
Do you mean, Jim Webb, who was oe of the 80 Senators to vote for war funding w/o a pre-determined surrender date?
May 25th, 2007 at 7:58 pmAnyone who thinks General Betray-us will give an unbiased report needs a reality check.
May 25th, 2007 at 7:59 pmAnd General Patton thought the “Press Corpse” gave HIM a bad time…….
May 25th, 2007 at 8:11 pmPetraeus has already signed off on the September report. It was dictated by cheney, rumsfeld and kissinger. Everything is wonderful.
May 25th, 2007 at 8:16 pmNow, shut up and drink your koolade
I was wondering when you guys would start bashing a good man like Petraeus. Perhaps some of you “compassionate†types will wish death upon him before the sun sets? I say that because it’s the kind of hate I see here every day.
You’re doing shtick, no?
No. My point is your use of “you guys” and your use of sarcasm toward “compassionate” people. Your assumption that hate will happen from everyone is demeaning to all of us that don’t live by hate and believe in compassion. It is this generalizing that is insulting. I am not “everyone” and if you don’t want to be called on your generalized nastiness, directed at me (included as everyone), don’t write posts like the one quoted here.
You also said:
…my friend.
I am not your friend. This is just more of your sarcasm. Your self righteousness here is just plain silly.
You also said:
The hate here doesn’t go by unnoticed Merlin, and no amount of spinning on your part can change that.
Spinning, you accuse? There is no spin here at all! I spoke for myself and from my feelings directly to you, and about you. I spoke for no one else or this blog. I excuse no one, myself included, for bad posts, or bad attitudes. This was a straightforward disapproval of what you did, and the way I saw you, because of your post. No bullshit involved. No spin. That others do things you disapprove of, does not give you the right to slam everyone free of charge. You are responsible for your words and if you don’t believe that, you are worse off than I thought in my first post to you. Do you think your self righteous sarcasm goes unnoticed around here? If so, think again! No avoidance of your responsibility to that will change anything.
That said, I do agree that there are some people that do express their anger in ways that I don’t like, and here, I agree with you. Death threats and bodily harm are two of them.
My advice to you is to single out people specifically for what they say. Give them, specifically, your unhappy rant and leave me and others out of the picture. Please stop your generalized “pissing” on everyone.
May 25th, 2007 at 8:44 pm#54 Comment by valiant venus — May 25, 2007 @ 7:58 pm
Do you mean, Jim Webb, who was oe of the 80 Senators to vote for war funding w/o a pre-determined surrender date?
Yes, VV, the same. No one is perfect, I do not agree with his vote but there are other things I don’t agree with either. I still respect him non the less and stand by my belief that he is one of the new breed of progressives.
May 25th, 2007 at 8:49 pm#53 Comment by valiant venus — May 25, 2007 @ 7:55 pm
Tolliver - Merlin is a typically progressive elitist. They bash the DLC…. but generally loved Bill Clinton, the poster BOY for the DLC. (The welfare refrom biull couldn’t have happened without the DLC. The multiple personalities each deserve our compassion.
Just to set the record straight with you, I was always anti Clinton even though I voted for him. There was a lot I really had problems with during his Presidency.Just as I was not for Kerry, but voted for him, (An “anybody but Bush” voter.) I am simply very anti DLC ideology. As much as I like Al Gore his DLC background bothers me. And as to being elitist, well that is in the eye of the beholder. I think of myself as a populist but if you see me otherwise, so be it.
May 25th, 2007 at 8:59 pmMerlin,
I said “perhaps SOME of you compassionate types”, as I know that only about 1/3 of you cats here are haters.
No generalizing on my part, but the spinning continues from your end my friend.
Sidenote:
I wish I could take a poll to see how many of you guys are “truthers” here.
May 25th, 2007 at 9:46 pmspeaking of spin…circa october 2004, over 2 1/2 years ago:
“BUSH: The best way for Iraq to be safe and secure is for Iraqi citizens to be trained to do the job. And that’s what we’re doing. We’ve got 100,000 trained now, 125,000 by the end of this year, over 200,000 by the end of next year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZAHN: Jamie, are those numbers right?
MCINTYRE: There’s a big dispute, Paula, about whether the Pentagon is overstating the number of Iraqis that are truly combat ready.
But the general who’s in charge of the training, very respected general, General Petraeus, insists that 100,000 is the right number out of 164,000 in Iraq.”
hence petraeus not being a reliable source.
[http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0410/01/pzn.01.html]
May 25th, 2007 at 10:20 pm#61 Comment by Toliver — May 25, 2007 @ 9:46 pm
“I said “perhaps SOME of you compassionate typesâ€, as I know that only about 1/3 of you cats here are haters.”
OK, this is a lot more realistic and an acceptable statement to me. I don’t know that the 33% is correct but it is your expressed feeling. Maybe you could do a study on that and make it a fact.
You say:
No generalizing on my part, but the spinning continues from your end my friend.
You persist:
“…my friend”
We are not friends, so here your sarcasm continues. Too bad.
“No generalizing on my part…you say”??? I suggest you take this thread to someone who can set you straight on that. You are even doing it again in the above quote and you are oblivious to what you are doing.
Look, was I not clear in my last post? Don’t lump me into some group and then by inference accuse me of spinning. I am an individual and speak for myself, not for “my side” as you put it. I did not spin anything in my post to you. I flat out addressed your post and its negative aspects. Look up the definition of spin! OK, done; here is the definition:
“to give (a news story or other information) a particular interpretation, esp. a favorable one.”
Is it clear now?
Sidenote:
I wish I could take a poll to see how many of you guys are “truthers†here.
This is how I feel about Republicans. With the tremendous number of scandles happening (and happened) recently I suspect that they might be hard to come by.
May 25th, 2007 at 11:00 pmMerlin,
I’ve not lumped you in to the “haters” group. I’ve said that a sinifigant number of posters here do wish death, damnation and other horrid misfortunes upon their political rivals as well as the newborn (Cheney) child. It’s demented.
Then there are the moderates that call Petraeus a traitor (”General Betray-us”).
The irrational hatred here is a fact present to any objective mind that has the ability to read the comments posted.
May 26th, 2007 at 12:02 amFrom The Smoking Gun yesterday
May 26th, 2007 at 5:34 amhttp://www.thesmokinggun.com/ archive/ years/ 2007/ 0524072torture1.html :
MAY 24–In a recent raid on an al-Qaeda safe house in Iraq, U.S. military officials recovered an assortment of crude drawings depicting torture methods like “blowtorch to the skin” and “eye removal.” Along with the images, which you’ll find on the following pages, soldiers seized various torture implements, like meat cleavers, whips, and wire cutters … (in) a ramshackle Baghdad safe house described as an “al-Qaeda torture chamber.”
It’s our fault AQ does that UM.
May 26th, 2007 at 10:52 amLike surgeons without someone or something to cut, Generasls aren’t much use without war.Who would ever have heard of Washington, Lee, Jackson, Grant, Custer, Ridgeway, McArthur, Eisenhower, Bradley, Marshall, Westmoreland(?), Powell, Schwarzkopf, Franks,and the domino dropping group after Franks. The only thing Franks did right was to label Doug Feith. He ran to Baghdad and passed up oportunities to supress insurgents. Certainly not enough troop to do that but at whose fault? So I’m betting Petraeus will want to keep getting people killed. That is another thing Generals do.
May 26th, 2007 at 11:32 amGotta love liberal contempt for the military.
May 26th, 2007 at 11:41 amContinuing the liberal tradition of smearing every member of the military that doesn’t say what they like, and propping up every member of the military, past and present, that says what they like.
If you disagree with John Kerry or John Murtha, you’re a chickenhawk. If you disagree with McCain or Petraeus, you’re a genius.
In the same vain as minorities are treated by liberals. If a black person says something they like, they are idolized and everyone who disagrees is a racist. If a black person says something they don’t like, they are a Republican shill, an Uncle Tom, and so on, and so forth.
Imagine if Alberto Gonzalez were the AG for Clinton, and Republicans attacked him like Democrats are attacking him now. The liberals would be calling racism from every rooftop across town. But reverse the political affiliation, and Gonzalez is just a stooge, a Yes Man, an unconstitutional war criminal, err, or whatever.
Liberals are a bunch of race-baiting, veteran-baiting hypocrites.
At least conservatives will straight up tell you that they don’t like gays or blacks or whatever. They don’t prop them up as tools and use them for what they are.
May 26th, 2007 at 3:24 pmOne link in this piece is useful, the rest, not so much. I’ll get to Korb’s smear in a moment, but this post’s efforts to prop it up with the ominous suggestion that it “wasn’t an isolated incident,” are pathetic.
Just check them out for yourself. First, “Patreaus has allowed himself to be used as a “political prop,†says Faiz. So follow the link–oh, scandal, in a speech Bush gave describing the new iraq strategy, he actually mentions the man he’s chosen to direct it–Petraeus–12 times! I wonder how often he uses the word “the”.
The same article includes Murtha’s accusations that Petraeus is in town to make “political statements.” He’s sure. Why? He’s “angered by Petraeus’ claim that al Qaeda, not sectarian civil war, is the greatest threat in Iraq,” we’re told. “[T]hese comments that General Petraeus made are absolutely inaccurate, according to the intelligence we have,†claims Murtha.
Oh? So explain the success in al Anbar, where Sunni’s are joining the coalition against al Qaeda. Nothing like a common enemy to build friendship, eh? Just look at this website!
Hmm, you can always follow the other link to Dana Milbank’s “sketch” (which really should be called a doodle) if you want to pretend there’s no distinction between the Sunni insurgents and the Islamists called al Qaeda in Iraq. If so, there’s no arguing with you anyway.
As for Korb’s piece, give it a read. He says Petraeus has a credibility problem. But you’ll see his entire case consists of two false assertions concerning a single commentary Petraeus wrote for the Washington Post on September 26, 2004, if you read it–th — the only useful link.
First, Korb says the piece was “misleading”, but in fact, Korb is misleading. Petraeus offers a fair assessment of the situation in Iraq at the time. He repeatedly qualifies his optimism, saying, in a typical example, “The future undoubtedly will be full of difficulties, especially in places such as Fallujah. We must expect setbacks and recognize that not every soldier or policeman we help train will be equal to the challenges ahead.”
Second, Korb attacks the timing of the piece, asserting outright that it either implicates Petraeus in manipulation of the 2004 elections or reveals that he is a stooge of his civilian bosses. But Petraeus explains the timing in the conclusion, which notes, “It is likely that insurgent attacks will escalate as Iraq’s [January] elections approach.”
Indeed, the Post published an article titled “Congress Is Told That Road to Iraq Elections May Be Violent” on Sep. 23, and another titled “Iraqi Leader Vows Election Won’t Be Delayed” on Sep. 24. Context is everything, no?
These people have made a pretty poor case for their paranoia and cynicism. How do they know what they claim? Make up your own mind. Go listen to the guy yourself.
June 11th, 2007 at 10:26 pm